A fragmented, three-part ride today. Waking up at 3:50 (not my choice), making my way out of bed by 4:30 and on the bike by 5:00, I anticipated a nice long 2½ hour ride before the day even got started. I even thought I might coordinate the ride so that I would end up at Harp's when they opened at 6:00, quickly pick up a head of cauliflower (cauliflower?) and be back home before the traffic picked up. But, once outside, the sight of lightning flashing in the north and the west had me thinking twice. And, even if TWO bright red flashing light units on my Camelbak, did I really want to make my way down Hwy 45 at 5:00 in the morning? I looped down to 45 to get a feel for venturing out. Maybe. But with the prospect of rain almost imminent, prudence won out and I stuck to the neighborhood.
I hadn't done a 25 mile since the 24er and I really wanted to finally get one in. Not that doing one is some great feat but, psychologically, it was an important barrier of sorts to surpass. And, as for the cauliflower, maybe I would pick it up later in the day or Rachel would have to wait for another day for one of her favorite dishes of mashed cauliflower.
A much different feel to the morning than yesterday when it felt timeless. Definitely felt in the present this morning. There were the various assortment of eyes reflecting back from the dark. At one time, I passed two very wide eyes sitting in the grass. A cat? The eyes seemed too wide and open for a cat and the body, of what little I could see of it, had a roundish shape, much like an owl. An owl? Really? Just sitting in the field? How cool would that be!? I dismounted from the bike and walked closer, my headlamp continued to light up the eyes. It didn't make sense for it to be an owl for surely it would have flown away by now. A few steps closer and it did turn out to be a cat. But, wait. What's this? Another set of eyes glowing off to the right about twenty feet away. A skunk. The two seemed to be co-existing as if they were pals. The cat glanced over toward the skunk as it began meandering off. I kept taking shots of the skunk but the flash wouldn't quite reach the pole-cat and I didn't dare move closer. The thing about skunks is that they don't see very well and they don't really seem to have a great sense of their surroundings. I have been in a situation where I was sitting on a stoop outside a house and a skunk just walked up the sidewalk to within a few feet of me. It would have kept coming but my friend with me said, "Hi there," which caused the skunk to stop in it's tracks and turn around. Unless provoked, they are usually very good about not spraying as they don't like the smell any more than we do.
So, I'm keeping my distance with this fella and he decides for some unknown reason to make a right turn and head right towards me. I slowly start backing away and say something in a very casual tone such as, "'You don't want to come this way." But he still keeps coming and I say something a bit louder and now he does turn but he also sticks his tail up in the air. That's not a good sign. I back away some more and he gets down to the road, still with his tail in the air and passes right by my bike. No, not the bike. I stay quiet and hope he will pass quietly by, which, fortunately, he does. I turn to the cat and we look at each other and I'm on my way again.
About 6:15 it starts raining and any hopes for a long morning ride are dashed unless I feel like getting wet, which I don't.
With an anticipated high of 95 degrees today, i head out again at 10:30. But I know I'm still not going to get the 25 miles completed on this second run as I want to get back to get some work completed. The sky is an interesting field of rolling gray with patches of light here and there. Forming a semi-circle of sorts halfway to the horizon is a scattered curtain of veils of rain, many of which don't seem like they are even reaching the ground. It seemed unusual to see so many of this veils.
Close up of a rusty chain.
With 18 miles done, I head back to eat lunch and split some wood.
Back out at 2:45 for the last leg. Cloudy but 95 degrees. It doesn't feel like 95. I wonder if 95 in September is different than a reading of 95 in August.
I head down the big hill in the neighborhood and on the way back up I spot this red caterpillar. I don't recall ever seeing one quite like this before, with its space age-like helmet head.
And, finally, 25 miles are done.
Today's Ride: 2hrs 31mins. 25.77 miles. 69, 76 and 95 degrees. Miles YTD: 6,376.07
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